How to spot a fake Rolex: the details that give it away
Today's fakes come very close to the real thing. The best ones, called superclones, fool even many dealers. Up close, these details still give most of them away.
General advice
On the dial and the glass
- The date magnifier. On a genuine modern Rolex, the date fills the little bubble on the glass: it's magnified about 2.5 times. On many fakes it looks small and flat, or isn't centred over the date.
- The inner ring. On recent models, "ROLEX" is engraved all around the inside edge of the dial, lined up with the minute marks, and the serial number is engraved at 6 o'clock. Uneven, shallow or crooked letters are a warning.
- The tiny crown in the glass. Since the early 2000s, Rolex etches a tiny crown into the glass at 6 o'clock. You need a loupe and the right light to see it. On fakes it's often missing, or far too easy to see.
- The printing. Every letter on the dial should be sharp and even, with clean edges. Blurry or thick print is a red flag.
- The glow. All the markers and hands should glow evenly in the dark. Patchy glow is a warning (on vintage watches it fades with age; that's normal).
On the case and bracelet
- The back. Most Rolex models have a solid back you can't see through. A see-through back on a Submariner, GMT or Datejust is a red flag.
- The seconds hand. Almost every Rolex is mechanical: the seconds hand glides around the dial. A hand that jumps once a second usually means a quartz fake (the rare exception is the vintage Rolex Oysterquartz).
- The feel. A genuine Rolex feels solid and precise: crisp engravings on the clasp, a firm click when it closes, no rattles in the bracelet.
Around the watch
- The papers. If the watch comes with papers, the serial number on them must match the watch.
- The price. A price far below everything else for the same reference is the oldest warning sign there is.
The honest truth
The best fakes pass most of these tests. The only sure answer comes from a watchmaker or a third-party authenticator who checks the watch in hand and opens the case to inspect the movement. That is how every watch we sell is checked (see how we verify every watch).
Keep this guide: download it as a one-page PDF.
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